(Baltimore, Maryland) March 11, 2010 - Governor Martin O’Malley met with members of the Maryland Congressional Delegation, hosted by Senator Barbara Mikulski, today to present the State’s FY2011 federal funding priorities. Two of these projects would significantly reduce nitrogen pollution from wastewater treatment plants and help Maryland meet Bay restoration goals; another project would help to protect Maryland’s water resources.

“Today we continue to champion our Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts and to protect Maryland’s water supplies for future generations. As Maryland continues to push toward our Bay restoration milestones that more than double our nitrogen reduction efforts, we need Federal assistance to help cut nitrogen pollution from Blue Plains and Patapsco," said Governor Martin O’Malley. “A cleaner Chesapeake Bay would stimulate Maryland’s economy, including tourism and recreational activities, and help restore vital aquatic and wildlife habitat.In addition to protecting Maryland’s water, these projects will also put people to work.”

Governor O’Malley continued: “We are also working to secure an ample supply of clean water for Maryland. Funding for critical water resource studies will provide us with tools we need to promote Smart Growth and to manage this most precious resource, clean water, for future generations.”

Three clean water projects presented by Governor O’Malley today include:

• Blue Plain Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade and Combined Sewer Overflow Control - FY 2011 Request

  $83 million (on behalf of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia)

  For a portion of the costs to upgrade the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant to provide Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) and control combined sewer overflows to reduce the nitrogen loading to the Chesapeake Bay. Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant is the largest such facility in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and this upgrade would reduce nitrogen discharges from Blue Plains by nearly 4 million pounds per year.

  The total project cost is projected to be $3.7 billion, which will be distributed among the jurisdictions. Maryland is working collaboratively with Virginia and the District of Columbia to address the funding needs of this critical project. The $83 million requested is the projected FFY 2011 costs for the ENR portion of the project.

• Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade - FY 2011 Request

  $50 million for construction of Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) and Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR) technologies at the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant. Patapsco is the second-largest wastewater treatment plant in Maryland and serves approximately 432,000 people, a population expected to grow due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) activities. The total project cost will be in excess of $400 million. This upgrade will reduce nutrient pollution to the Chesapeake Bay by 3.3 million pounds per year and support Smart Growth by targeting infrastructure funding in a priority funding area designated to accommodate growth. These additional funds will also allow Baltimore City and Maryland to meet Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) nutrient allocations, realize additional nutrient reductions needed to achieve the Bay restoration goals, provide essential funding for design and construction of this multi-million dollar project, and create construction jobs.

• United States Geological Survey - Comprehensive Assessment of Maryland’s Water Resources - FY 2011 Request

  $14,237,250 to help Maryland manage growing water demands for finite fresh water resources through study and modeling of response of Maryland’s hydrologic/ecologic systems to water withdrawals.These projects will implement recommendations of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State’s Water Resources Final Report issued July 1, 2008. These studies will give Maryland the much-needed tools to ensure the sustainability of the State’s water resources while maintaining the ecological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. The Governor’s Advisory Committee has projected that the need for increased water withdrawals in Maryland will grow by as much as 233 million gallons per day by year 2030—a 16 percent increase over the 2000 usage.

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